Individual rephrasing: Restate the given headline or description revealing your own choice of expression. Maintain the names if they're present. Ensure the text's length is relatively similar to the original. Do not include any personal opinions or remarks. Your rephrased output should only consist of the adapted text, without announcing the paraphrase - Many gather for a tribute ceremony to honor Peter Sodann in Halle.
In remembrance of the late German actor Peter Sodann, who passed away two months ago on his 88th birthday, a memorial event was held at the New Theater, where he had spent a significant portion of his career.
The event was attended by actors, cultural figures, politicians, and citizens, who came together to honor the life of this iconic figure. Actor Matthias Brenner shared his memories of Sodann's stubbornness, contradiction, humor, and gall, emphasizing how he had inspired, entertained, and provoked others with these qualities.
Sodann, an actor, director, and theater director, gained national recognition for his role as Chief Inspector Bruno Ehrlicher in "Tatort" from 1992 to 2007. Born in Meissen, Saxony, as the son of a worker, Sodann began his career as a toolmaker before studying law briefly and eventually enrolling at the Leipzig Theater Academy.
Following the closure of his cabaret in 1961 due to a controversial program, Sodann was arrested for treason. He was also under surveillance by the Stasi. Nonetheless, he made a name for himself as a theater producer and subsequently became the intendant of several stages in his hometown of Halle, creating a cultural hub. In the GDR, he was bestowed the National Prize in 1986. In 2001, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.
Saxony-Anhalt's Cultural State Secretary Sebastian Putz praised Sodann, saying he embodied his convictions as a politically engaged individual and identified as an East German with a left-wing perspective, regardless of whether his views were met with opposition and polarization. Putz lamented the loss of "'this upright and straightforward democrat, with his own unique and pointed form of involvement," in today's tumultuous times.
